Environment and Natural Resources

This project aims to investigate the physical and biological processes that initiate sap flow in maple trees during early spring when maple sap is harvested. Our study will be centered around developing a mathematical model that captures both sap flow and heat transport in the porous wood tissue, and then investigating solutions using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques.

Cementing operations are carried out on oil and gas wells at various stages. Primary cementing encases the well in a layer of cement. The purpose is to both seal the outside of the well and provide structural integrity. The impact of poor primary cementing is felt both economically (reduced production rates) and environmentally (leakage to surface). In extreme cases poor cement can be a contributing cause of a blowout, (e.g. BP’s Deepwater Horizon incident).

The effect of the British Columbia aquaculture industry on wild salmon stocks is currently unclear. In this project we will create a scientific advisory panel to guide development of an explicit experiment testing the effect of fish farms on wild smolt survival by using a large-scale marine telemetry array to measure survival of key BC salmon stocks. The PDF will extend Kintama’s existing mathematical software to design an optimal 2nd generation array to measure the effect of fish farm exposure on survival and advance aspects of the underlying mathematics.

Of the total primary energy consumed in Manitoba, 34% is spent on heating with the majority supplied by imported natural gas while Manitoba has considerable solar and biomass resources. Similar to the use of electricity as an energy carrier to distribute renewable power, investigating the use of water as an energy carrier to distribute renewable heat and cooling is of interest to Manitoba Hydro.

Combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for a major fraction of greenhouse gas emissions and the emission of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), soot, aerosols and other harmful chemical species. Reducing Canada’s dependence on fossil fuels is one of today’s major challenges. To design new pollutant-free combustion devices, improved mathematical models and computational tools for describing reactive flows are required. These models will enable a new understanding of combustion and lead to improved combustor designs and energy systems.

With today’s rapidly increasing energy demands and the emergence of smart grids and renewable energy resources, the current energy and power technologies need to be advanced to keep up with these changes. Simulation and modeling plays a vital role in understanding, designing and planning of electrical power systems. The proposed research aims at developing a new generation of advanced mathematical models and simulation tools for electrical power systems and smart grids.

The goal of this project is to evaluate if mesoscale (35 km) meteorological ensemble forecasts coupled to a short-range hydrological forecasting system can lead to improved forecasts, and thus help maximize hydropower production and minimize flood risks. Positive results would pave the way for a full project which would aim to design an efficient short-range hydrological ensemble forecasting system adapted to the climate and hydrology of the Great-Lakes and Saint Lawrence River basin.